Kentucky ranks poorly in new water quality study

by James Bruggers , The Courier-Journal –

Kentucky fares poorly in a new report by a big national environmental group that analyzed safe drinking water violations across the country.

No state in the nation in 2015 had a larger segment of its population — 53 percent — getting its water from utilities with at least one violation of federal safety regulations, the Natural Resources Defense Council found. Only Puerto Rico was higher, at 69 percent.

State officials late Tuesday disputed the study.

The study bases its rankings on two factors: Safe Drinking Water Act violations tracked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the number of customers served by those utilities.

 

The states are ranked by the total number of customers potentially affected by drinking water violations.

Based on NRDC’s analysis, Kentucky ranked fifth in the category of health-based violations at utilities that served a total of 1.5 million people. Those are the most serious violations, such as elevated levels of contamination or failing to comply with treatment techniques.

Kentucky was 10th among all states for total offenses based on population. Indiana was 24th. About 11 percent of its population got its water that year from utilities with at least one violation of federal safety regulations.

“We take it for granted that when we turn on our kitchen tap, the water will be safe and healthy, but we have a long way to go before that is a reality across our country,” said Erik Olson, health program director at NRDC and a report co-author.

Smaller, rural systems also tended to get the most violations, the study found.

An interactive map allows people to check how many violations were reported in their counties. It shows violations were counted across the state.

But the Louisville Water Co. had none that year, the study found.

Nationally, the fix is to invest in two things — enforcement of the law and improvements to infrastructure, Olson said. Nine of 10 violations across the country were not given any citations, he said. “Only about 3 percent faced any penalties,” he added.

NRDC said the Trump administration’s plan to cut the EPA budget 30 percent won’t help.

The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is responsible for enforcing drinking water standards in the state.

The NRDC mischaracterized Kentucky’s drinking water compliance data and misrepresented the cabinet’s compliance and enforcement programs, said agency spokesman John Mura in a written statement.

“Public drinking water in Kentucky is reliable and of high quality,” Mura said. “NRDC’s characterization of public drinking water is irresponsible and does not promote meaningful dialogue regarding the important concerns of safe drinking water and drinking water infrastructure investment.”

Reach reporter James Bruggers at 502-582-4645 and at [email protected].